Hood-latch.



1. FywHlTE.

Hoon LATCH. APPLICAH'ONFILEUSEPLIZ,1917.A

1,300?? 9?.; y Patented Apr. 15,1919.

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n ras niet JOHN F. WHITE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGrNllIENTS, T0 VTIII PRGDUQTS COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CGRPO'RIMKTN 0F IIJI'IEOIS.

Hooniiaron.

recoger,

Specification of Letters Eatcnt.

-lPatented Alpin., l5, lll-litt Application tiled. September 12, i917. Serial No. 191,079.

l'llinisihave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hood-Latches, of which the following is a specification.

The invention has to do with the provision of a simple, sightly, convenient and wholly efficient means for latching the doors of engine hoods or other structures involving similar conditions. I

rlhe characteristic features of the invention are the dependable latching` and unlatching of the device by'means of an eX- teriorly arranged handle, the latchin'g mechanism being disposed within the hood and thus protected against weatherand unwarranted manipulation or accident; the eX- treme simplicity of the parts, conducive to cheapness of manufacture and installation with little liability to get out of adjustment or to require repair or renewal; together with many other advantageous features of construction and operation which will appear from the following description thereof read in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein is shown a preferred einbodiinent of the invention, it being understood that the drawingI and descriptionare y to be taken in an illustrative sense and not as unnecessarily limiting the invention which is susceptible of embodiment in other varied and constructional forms. In the drawings f Figure l is a vertical transversesection through the engine hood showing the latching device associated with the hood door, which latter is shown in section;

Fig. is an inside view showing in elevation the latching device assembled with the door, and i Fig. 3 is a detail cross sectional view taken on the line 3*-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, lthe enginebed plate is indicated at il, and the engine hood door at l2. A yoke plate 13 is secured .to thedoor by means of upper rivets let and lower rivets l5. rl`his yoke plate iS of bifurcated construction the two branches thereof extending for a portion of their length in moderately spaced parallel relation as clearly/'shown in 2 and in the lower portion of their length wider spaced apart with their lower ends outwardly und inwardly turned as indicated at 13a. The

latch` proper comprising the handle portion 16, the shank portion 17, and the hook lil. lhe handle portion of the latch adjacent its connection with the shank portion is @c j guided within the upper portion of the yoke plate andeX-tends through a suitable aperture 19 of the door l2 to .the outside of the hood. Disposed between the lbranches of the bifurcated yoke plate 13 immediately below. mi the handle portion 16 of the latch is a guiding member 20 for the upper portion of the latch shank. rlhe construction of this guiding member and its relation to the yoke plate and the shank is clearly shown in Fig. 3. 7@

.The purpose of the guide is to maintain a fixed relation of the shank laterally with regard to the door while permitting the shank to move easily in the direction of its length parallel to the door.

Within the inturned lower end 13 of the yoke plate is hingedly mounted at 21 the pintles of a swinging guide 23 for the lower end of the latch shank adjacent the hook i8. 'lhis swinging guide permits the hooked end 39 of the shank to swing toward and away from the door and also to move in the direction of its length within said guide.

Encircling the shank 17 is a compression spring 24 which bears upwardly against the g5 fixed guide 20 and downwardly against a bushing 25 formed within the bight of Vthe swinging guide 23. The action of this spring tends to move the Xed guide 20 upwardly carrying with it the shank 'i7 of the latch, 9@ the lower .end of the latch shank moving `freely within the bushing 25. (This normally urges the shank of the latch in the direction of its length away from engage ment with the cross bar 260i the keeper-bolt'- 95, ed to the bed plate at 27 and having reversely curved side members 28. y"lhis normal unstressed unlatched position of the' de-A vice is illustrated in dotted' lines in l.

llromthe said ure Vit will be observed a :lilly -f that thedistance from the door of the cross bar 26 of the keeper is slightly greater than the distance from the door of the hook por tion of the latch in its normal unstressed position. or, in other words, the space sepa I rating the keeper from the door is greater than the space occupied by the latch hook, and that in such circumstances the hoot; pote tion of the latch occupies a position :i `ve the keeper and nearer the door. lt follows y, A. y Y lli that forcible slamming shut oi the door can not cause malformation oi 'the keeperm downwardly upon the handle 16 and in d0- ing so the handle, shank and hook act as an angle lever fulcrumed at the connection between theguide 20 and the yoke plate 13, wherefore the downward pressure upon the outer portion of the handle will not only force the hook downwardly but also swing the same inwardly away from the door into engagement with the keeper, the swinging guide 23 allowing of this play of the lower end of the shank away from the door` When pressure upon the handle 16 is released the hook moves upwardly under the action of the spring 24 into engagement with the keeper as shown in full lines. Vhen it is desired to unlatch the door, downward pressure upon the handle 16, omitting the tilting movement, causes the shank to'move downwardly until it clears the engagement with the cross member 26 of the keeper, the pres-l sure being then relieved upon the handle 16 the reaction of the spring 24 against the swinging latch 23 will cause the same to move upon its pintle 21 toward the door into the position shown in dotted lines and at the same time the shank and handle will move upwardly bringing the hook into the position shown in dotted' lines free of the keeper.

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with the door of an engine hood, of a latch comprising a handle, a shank and a hook, means for confining the upper portion of the shank against lateral movement relative to the door but permitting of longitudinal movement, means for confining the lower portion of the shank against lateral movement parallel to the door and allowing lateral play for the hook toward and Vfrom the door, a stationary keeper for coperation with the hook, a sprlng urging the latch shank 1n the dlrection of its length away from the keeper, the handle of the latch extending from the door and .forming with the shank an angle lever fulcrumed in its upper portion whereby the latch hook may be swung toward and away from the door out of and into engagement with the keeper.

2. .In a device of the class described, the combination with the door of an engine hood, of a latch comprising a handle, a shank and a hook, a guide carried by the door for confining the upper portion of the shank against lateral movement but permitting of longitudinal movement, a guide carried by the door for the lower portion of the shank and allowing lateral play for the hook toward and from the door, a stationary keeper for coperation with the hook, a spring urging the latch shank-in the direction of its length away from the keeper,

lried by the door for the lower portion of the shank and allowing play for the hook toward and from the door, 'a stationary keeper for coperation with the hook, a spring urging the latch shank in the direction of its length away from the keeper,.the distance of the keeper from the closed door being` greater than the space occupied by' the hook in the unlatched unstressed position, the handle of the latch extending outside the door and forming with the shank an angle lever fulcrumed in its upper portion, whereby the latch hook may be swun to- .ward and away fromthe door outo and into engagement with the keeper.

4. In a device ofthe class described, the combination with the door of an engine hood, of a latch comprising a handle, a shank and a hook, a guide carried by the door within the hood for confining the upper portion of the shank against lateral movement butpermitting of longitudinal 10u movement, a guide carried by the door also within the hood for the lower portion of the shank and allowino. lateral play for the hook, a stationary keeper within the hood for coperation with the hook, a spring urging the latch shank in the direction of its length away from the keeper, the handle ot the latch extending outside the door and forming with the shank, an angle lever fulcrumed on the fixed shank guide whereby 110 the latch hook maybe swung toward and away from the door out of and into engagement with the keeper.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with the door of an engine hood of a latch comprising a handle, a shank and a hook, a guide carried by the door within the hood for conning the upper portion of theshank against lateral movement but permitting of longitudinal movement, a guide carried by the door also within the hood for the lower portion of the shank and allowing lateral play for the hook, a stationary I keeper within the hood for coperation with the hook, a spring urging the latch shank in the direction of its length away from the keeper, the distance of the keeper from the closed door being greater than the space occupied by the hook inthe unlatched un`v stressed position, the handle of the latch the shank an angle lever ulcrumed about the upper shank guide whereby the latch .hook may be swung toward and away from the door out of and into engagement with the keeper.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with the door of an engine hood, of a latchl comprising a handle, a shank and a hook, a 'guide carried by the door within the hood for confining the` upper portion of the shank against lateral movement but permitting of longitudinal movement relative to the door, a swinging guide carried by the door also within the hood for the lower portion of the shank and allowing play for the hook toward and from the door, a stationary keeper within the hood for coperation with the latch, a spring disposed about the latch shank and bearing lill upwardly against dthe part having a fixed relation with said shank and downwardly against the swinging guide, the distance of 4the keeper from the closed door bein greater than the space occupied by the hoo in the unlatched unstressed position, the handle of the latch .extending outside the door and forming with the shank' an angle lever fulcrumed in lits upper portion whereby the latch hook 4may be swung toward and away from the door out of and into engagement with the keeper.

l In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN F. WHITE.

VVitneslses:

MARY C. BROWER, EBBA F. NYDEN. 

